Tart London: How to make barbecued mackerel

Raw, smoked, pickled, roasted or grilled — there are so many wonderful ways to prepare mackerel. Smoking is particularly fantastic, because it really holds in the flavour. Once, on a cooking job in Scotland, we were presented with lots of mackerel someone had just caught. We filleted and thinly sliced the fish and served it as sashimi with dipping sauces. It was the freshest mackerel we’d ever tasted.

Mackerel is also a brilliant source of omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D — something we all could do with more of in cloudy old England. Luckily it’s also really versatile and easy to prepare as a snack. We often make a smoked mackerel bruschetta when we’re in a rush and don’t have time for lunch.

Mackerel is also perfect for a summer barbecue, as it’s an oily fish that holds together well and soaks up lots of lovely flavour, while the skin crisps up deliciously. Here we’re keeping it simple and stuffing it with lots of punchy herbs, lemon and garlic before smothering it in olive oil. The key ingredient here is the bay, which works wonderfully. For maximum flavour, stuff as many leaves as possible into the fish cavity, then place whole branches of bay leaves on to the barbecue coals while you’re cooking the fish to infuse the smoke with wonderful bay fragrance.